Windows Phones to Get New Start Screen, But Not the Full Apollo OS Update

Microsoft has finally clarified the question of whether current Windows Phone handsets will be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8 Apollo. The short answer: no. But that doesn’t mean Windows Phones like the Nokia Lumia 900 won’t see the light of a new OS.

Enter Windows Phone 7.8, an update announced at Microsoft’s Windows Phone Summit event on Wednesday that’s made specifically for current Windows Phone devices. The 7.8 update will bring the new Windows Phone 8 Start Screen, the most visible end-user feature, to older phones.

This news confirms reports from April that indicated Windows Phone Apollo would not come to Windows Phone Mango devices.

Now we have more clarification on why this is happening. Microsoft says the main reason is because the latest OS has so many direct ties to upcoming hardware features. For example, Windows Phone 8 supports hardware updates like multi-core processors, SD card expansion, NFC, and GPU enhancements — all of which don’t currently exist in current devices.

If you have a current Windows Phone, there’s no need to panic. The new Start Screen is the most noticeable consumer-facing feature in Windows Phone 8, and developers will be able to create apps that will run on both Windows Phone 8 and 7.8. What you’re really missing out on is the coming phone hardware — a familiar predicament in today’s ever-advancing smartphone market.

While this feels reminiscent of Android’s fragmentation problem, Microsoft has actually come to a much better compromise. The Smart Screen is Windows Phone 8’s marquee software feature, and is the first OS element any user will see when using his handset. Both Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 users will be able to take advantage of the Smart Screen’s customizable features.

The new Start Screen still has the familiar Metro UI and Live Tiles, but now there are more personalization capabilities. For one, the entire screen is available for use. Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 ditch the empty, right-hand trough, using the space instead for more Live Tile pinning. And now, Live Tiles will come in three sizes, with the addition of a small square tile.

Users will also be able to adjust each app’s Live Tile to a preferred size — large, medium, or small — no matter the app. Developers will be able to customize how they want each Live Tile size to appear. And the large tile, which is currently limited to Microsoft, OEM, and carrier apps, will be available to all developers. So, if you want to pin a large tile of your TweetRo or LinkedIn app onto your Windows Phone device, you can.

Changing the app size is as simple as tapping and holding on a Live Tile and scrolling through the available sizes. What’s more, Microsoft will update the Start Screen with several new color themes.

While some future software features will come only to Windows Phone 8 — for example, support for different languages — what you’re mainly missing out on in version 7.8 is the OS’ new hardware support. And if some app developers choose to code only for Windows Phone 8, then 7.8 users will obviously be left out. Microsoft, however, says that the key goal is to let developers build applications for both builds.

Version 7.8 is no Windows Phone 8, but at least current Windows Phone users don’t have to feel like they’ve totally wasted their money on a soon-to-be outdated device. In fact, Microsoft is showing off the new Start Screen on Nokia Lumia 900s at its event.